Apparatus for producing cold electric discharges



March 24. 1925.

WKKTM J. KUHLENSCHMIDT APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING COLD ELECTRIC DISCHARGES Filed July 28 1924 Patented Mar. 24, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT err-"Ice.

J'OHA'NNES KUHLENSCHMIDT, OF BERLIN-HOHENSCHONHAUSEN, GERMANY, AS-

SIGNO'R TO OZON-TECHN'IK AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING COLD ELECTRIC DISCHARGES.

Application filed July 28, 1924. Serial No. 728,764.

To all whom it may concern:

-Be it known that I, J OHANNES KUHLEN- sonmnr, a citizen of Germany, residing at Berlin-Hohenschonhausen, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Producing Cold Electric Discharges, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to means for the production of silent or cold electric discharges, such as are used among other purposes particularly for the production of ozone, for the sterilization of liquids,for the artificial aging of alcoholic liquors and the like, and for other important uses.

My invention has for one of its objects to provide an apparatus of the kind referred to which is of simple construction, can be cheaply manufactured, and is reliable and highly eificient in operaion, and which, when used for example for the production of ozone, is capable of yielding a higher output of ozone in proportion to the amount of watts consumed, and in regard to the size of the ap aratus, and the amount of material emp oyed for the purpose, and which, moreover, admits of being manufactured with a much greater degree of exactness than the kinds of apparatus of this nature,

3.0 as disclosed by the prior art and among other important advantages the invention rovides means of facilitating and improv-' mg the cooling of the apparatus required where large yields are called for.

In view of these and other important ob' jects and advantages which will appear from the following specification the invention in its preferred embodiment consists in the combination and arrangement of parts 40 hereinafter described and specifically set forth in the claims. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of an apparatus arranged in accordance with this invention. 4

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line IIII of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar modified form of construction and Fig. 4: is a fractional view of the same sectional representation on an enlarged scale.

The apparatus shown by way of example on the accompanying dra'wlng may be assumed to be securedto a wall. It comprises substantially a cylindrical metal caslng a transverse section of a cylinders with a foot serving for the attachment to the wall or the like. The casing a also constitutes one of the cylindrical electrodes, and

preferably the outer electrode. The admissionof current to the electrode a is effected by means of the terminal screw g. The other interior electrode 12 is formed by a cylindrical metal body the top of which is mounted in a disc 7 and the bottom of which is mounted in a disc f both of which consist of insulating material. The cylindrical metal body I) is provided with shoulderportions at its ends. The lower one of the two shouldered portions projects from the apparatus to the outside through a stufiing box 71. mounted in a screwthreaded cover 71 and at its outer portion it is provided with a terminal screw 11. adapted for connection with the other pole of the corresponding high tension source of current. The cover '5 75 is ,screw threadedly fitted in the lower end of the cylindrical casing a of the apparatus by which means the said casing is closed at its bottom. In a corresponding manner the upper end of the casing a is closed by a screw threaded cover 0. In the proximity of the two ends of the casing the lateral pipe fittings la and m are provided. Of these I the pipin k serves for the admission of the fluid to he ozonized, of air for instance, while through the piping m the ozonized fluid is discharged.

Between the electrode a and 6 three hollow d d 0 are mounted in the exemplification of the invention shown, and in such a manner that thry are spaced from each other as well as from the electrodes a and b. The spaces Z, Z Z Z, thus formed and also possessing the shape of hollow cylinders serve for the admission of the fluid to be ozonized. The upper and lower ends of the hollow cylinders c, d and d are secured in a similar manner as the inner electrode b in rings 7, f, 7?, f, f, 7, all these rings or a annuli f -f arescrew threadedly 100 secured and the hollow cylindrical bodies 6 provided with corresponding interior sides.

- The rings are made of insulating material and are provided with holes 1) adapted for the passage of the fluid to be ozonized or 5 respectively ozonized already. The hollow cylinders d and d consist of dielectric material, of glass for instance, while thehollow cylinder 0 disposed intermediate the hollow cylinders d and d is made of metal, of

aluminium for instance. Also, the outer electrode as well as the inner electrode 6 are preferably made of aluminium or of any other metal capable of resisting the action of ozone.

By the insertion of the insulatingly disposed conductor of I the kind of the aluminium hollow cylinder or the aluminium tube 0 intermediate the hollow cylinders or pipes (1 d of dielectric material the total active surface which is operative in the determination of the number of electric discharge bundles, and consequently for the generation of ozone is considerably increased in the particular parts of machinery without any substantial increase of the resistance of the corresponding current. This constitutes a considerable improvement of the specific yield of ozone produced by the apparatus. Instead of the two dielectrics d and d shown a larger number thereof may, of course, also be provided. In this case a well insulatingly disposed conductor similar to the metal tube a may be provided between each two dielectrics.

The arrangement may also be such that the tubes or separating walls'd d of dielectric material are made to rest directly upon the metal pipes provided between them. In this'case the thickness of the dielectric layers may be considerably reduced, which may be effected for instance by shaping them as coatings in direct contact withthe metal tubes. This modified form of construction is shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawing in which (1 indicates the outer electrode and b the inner electrode. In the hollow space between these electrodes in the case assumed for purposes of description four hollow cylinders or tubes of aluminium 0 c", c and 0* are disposed, so as to be uniformly spaced from each other and from the electrodes a and b. The mounting ofthesealuminium tubes is effected in the mannerhereinbefore referred to by means of discs or rings of insulating material of which a corresponding number has been provided and may be cured in the casing a. The aluminium tubes 0, 0 c and 0* as appears from Figure 4 in which this arrangement is shown on an enlarged scale, are provided on the outer and inner faces with coatings of dielectric material d (5, d d, d", (if, d and d.

These coatings may for instance be produced 7 by first providing the aluminiumtubes by immersion, painting or the like, with coatings of enamel, glass flux, insulating lacquer, zapon varnish or with a similar coating possessing good dielectric properties and resisting the action of ozone. Also coatings of mica, oil paper, rubber and the like may be used for this purpose. All these coatings may be very thin without interfering with the stability of the dielectric screw threadedly se layers produced in this manner," inasmuch as they are sufficiently supported and secured upon the rigid metal pipes to which they are attached. The total thickness of the wall of the metal pipes with the two dielectric layers is also very low only, so that metal tubes of this kind provided with dielectric coatings may be disposed in a considerably larger number within a given space between the outer and the inner electrodes than in the form of construction represented in Figure 1 of the drawing. In this manner the active total surface for the production of ozone and consequently the specific yield of ozone may be considerably increased. An additional advantage of the employment of dielectric layers secured upon separate metallic carriers is afforded by the fact that the thickness and the other properties of these layers may be made far more uniform than in the case of'separate dielectric bodies. By this means the employment of very thin dielectric layers is also facilitated. The thickness of the layers may be reduced to hundredths of milli meters while in accordance'with the previ- I ous art a thickness of 1.25 millimeters was regarded as the utmost limit down to which the thickness could only be reduced. It is also of importance that the metal bodies serving as carriers of the dielectric layers may be finished off very .nicely and that quently solidifying layers for dielectric coatings the surfaces of such coatings will exactly correspond to the surfaces of the metal body under treatment, and in View of that the dimensions of the spaces through which the fluids to be ozonized have to pass between the neighboring portions of the apparatus will be much more uniform than with the previous constructions known. The employment of metallicintermediate conductors between the dielectric bodies affordsthe additional advantage that a very efficient cooling of the apparatus is made possible.

-The apparatus operates substantially as follows: The fluid to be ozonized, for, instance air, is' introduced at and is discharged at m. At the points 9 and h the conductors of a source of high tension current are connected. Between the electrodes a and b the socalledsilentor cold electric discharges in the shape of feeble luminating bundles will-take lace which aresubstantially evenly distributed over the entire active surface. The oxygen contained in the air passing through the hollow cylindrical spaces Z Z Z, Z is artially con-. verted into ozone by these discharges and the air thereby enriched in ozone may be conducted through the piping m to the point of consumption and may be stored or used in any other manner.

with the employment of liquid and subse-,

The invention is, of course, not restricted to the shape, dimensions and particular construction of parts and to the material hereinbefore referred to, but changes, modiiications and alterations may occur in accordance with the varying requirements without deviating from the spirit of the in vention. Thus, for instance, the electrodes and the dielectric bodies and conductors disposed between them, instead of being pipeshaped may assume any other suitable configuration, thus, for instance, they may be in the form of even plates. Also the number of the electrodes used and of the dielectrics as well as the number of the intermediate conductors may deviate from that herein shown and described. Furthermore than that, in other exemplifications additional electrodes maybe mounted between the several dielectrics and intermediate conductors, that is to say, additional electric conductors may be connected to the source of electric current.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for-the production of cold electric discharges, particularly for the production of ozone, comprising two electrodes spacedly disposed with relation to each other, a plurality of dielectric bodies spacedly disposed intermediate said electrodes, an insulatingly mounted electric conductor between each two succeeding dielectric bodies, and means for the admission of a fluid between said electrodes and said dielectric bodies.

of ozone, and comprising two electric c0nductors of extended surface, adapted for connection with a source of high tension current and relatively disposed in such a manner as to leave a space between them adapted'for the assage of a gaseous fluid, a plurality of at intermediate artitions of dielectric material, subdivi ing said space into a plurality of cavities and an insulatingly mounted flat metallic body in any of the spaces produced and at a distance from the conductors of extended surface.

3. Apparatus for the generation of ozone and for the production of cold electric discharges and comprising two electric conductors of extended active surface, and spaced from each other, means connecting said conductors to a source of high tension current, a pluralit of dielectric partitions spacedly disposed etween said conductors, insulatingly mounted fiat metallic means spacedly disposed in any of the spaces produced and means for admitting a gaseous fluid and for passing the same through the several spaces produced.

4. Apparatus for the generation of ozone and for the production of cold electric discharges comprising two electrodes of substantially large surface extension spacedly disposed with relation to each other and constituting a cavity, a plurality of intermediate partitions in said cavity, subdividing the same into individual compartments, at least one of said partitions being of metal and insulatingly disposed with relation to said electrodes, layers of dielectric material on at least one surface of said metallic in termediate partitions and in direct contact therewith, and means for the admission of gaseous fluid to said individual cavities.

5. Apparatus for the generation of ozone and for the production of cold electric discharges comprising two electrodes of substantially large surface extension spacedly disposed with relation to each other and constituting a cavity, a plurality of metallic partitions mounted intermediate said electrodes in said cavity and insulated therefrom and subdividing said cavity into a plurality of individual cavities, coatings of dielectric materials upon the surfaces of said metallic partitions and means for the admission of gaseous fluids to and through said cavities.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, an interior electrode, an outer electrode spacedly surrounding the same, a plurality of intermediate metallic hollow cylinders between the inner and outer electrodes spacedly disposed with relation to each other and encompassing each other and insulated from said electrodes and a coating of varnish of dielectric material upon the confronting surfaces of saidvhollow cylinders and fluid admitting means associated with said electrodes.

7. Apparatus of the character described,

comprising a cylindrical bod of well-conducting material, a hollow cylindrical casing of well-conducting material and spacedly and surroundingly disposed, so as to leave an annular space between the casing and the cylindrical body, means for the admission of air through said space, a plurality of hollow cylinders ofaluminium of different diameter and spacedly disposed within said cylindrical body, and insulatingly mounted betweenthe same and the casing and a thin layer of a solidifying dielectric material aplied to the confronting surfaces of said hollow cylinders of aluminium and means for connecting a high tension circuit to said cylindrical body and to said hollow cylindrical casing. a g

8. Apparatus of the character described, comprisin two electrodes spacedly disposed with relatlon to each other, so as to leave a cavity adapted for the passage of a liquid medium, a plurality of means of dielectric material and of extended active surfaces within said space and spacedly disposed with relation to each other and with relation to the confronting electrode, and metallic plate shaped carriers for said dielectric active purposes.

9. Apparatus of the character described comprising a plurality of two plate-shaped electrodes, spacedly disposed with relation to each other, a plurality of dielectric layers intermediate said electrodes and spacedly disposed with relation to each other and to said electrodes, fiat metallic carriers for said dielectric layers and in direct contact with said carriers on substantially their entire active surfaces, and means adapted for the passage of a fluid through the spaces between said electrodes and said dielectric layers.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

J OHAN NES KUHLEN SCHMIDT. Witnesses:

VVLAD ENDER, Enwm E. HURsoHURz. 

